Contract extension to February 2018

By Stephen Constantine, Nov 22 2016 03:32PM

...The former Rwanda coach is expected to sign on the dotted line which shall see him at the helm of the national team until February 2018…

Stephen Constantine has been offered an year’s extension by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday in a meeting held at the AIFF House, Delhi.

Kushal Das, the AIFF general secretary, met the English coach to discuss the terms and conditions and also listen to the concerns the 54-year-old had.

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“We have shared the terms with the coach and now he has to get back to us. It’s a one year contract which will be performance-based. There will be a review meeting held after six months though,” Das informed Goal.

Das also pointed that the target set was to qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup which will be held in Dubai. India have already made it into the group stages of the qualifications which are set to begin in March next year.

“The target set is to qualify for the Asian Cup. Stephen (Constantine) understands that but there are a couple of issues on which he will get back to us,” he mentioned.

There has been a suggestion to have an Indian assistant coach for the national team and Das suggested that former India captain Shanmugham Venkatesh could officially fill in that slot.

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“Lee Johnson’s (India Under-19 and India assistant coach) contract ends in February and he won’t be staying with us. Stephen will look at a few Indian coaches but he could opt for Venkatesh, who serves as the team manager, to double up as an assistant coach,” Das expressed.

According to sources close to Goal, Constantine is expected to sign the extension later this week.